Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Are You Under the New Covenant?There is a whole belief held among Messianics, and almost exclusively among them, about "covenants". A series of "covenants" which is supposed to make it work that Yeshu initiated a "new covenant" for all of mankind. Giving them that "magical loophole" that I touched on in the very last post before this one. A magical loophole making them the new chosen people, or the Super Israel. As if...

Islam doesn't even take it that far. They just say that the Jews messed up, and they have the real divine book, the Quran, and that Muslims are the new chosen people. And that's why a small group of Jews came into the middle of tons of their own and they still can't get us out of 'their' land.

So where does this idea come from? Well, there was the covenant given to mankind after the flood. There are universal laws for everyone in the world to obey, and we know that the world will not be destroyed again by a flood.We have the covenant given to Avraham which actually just started with him and extended onto his righteous and chosen offspring.We have the fruition of that covenant given at Har Sinai between HaShem and Israel, the descendants of Avraham who were to possess the Land of Israel, promised to Avraham, and obey all of the commands of HaShem in order to be a special nation in the world with a special purpose.

Then there is the covenant with Pinhhas, Dawid, etc. So what do these covenants have to do with Messianic theology?

"Brit Chadasha" - Its NOT the 'NT'They say that Yeshu came to initiate a new covenant, which they say is what a verse in Yirmeyah ('Jeremiah') 31:30 is talking about. In this new covenant, which the supposed magical effect of believing in Yeshu automatically initiates people this new covenant, and apparently into the people of Israel too.But not so fast - let's go over 31:30-32 for a second:ל הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם-יְהֹוָה וְכָרַתִּי אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאֶת-בֵּית יְהוּדָה בְּרִית חֲדָשָׁה30Behold the days are coming, says HaShem, that I will cut with the House of Israel and the House of Judah a new covenant. לא לֹא כַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַתִּי אֶת-אֲבוֹתָם בְּיוֹם הֶחֱזִיקִי בְיָדָם לְהוֹצִיאָם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר-הֵמָּה הֵפֵרוּ אֶת-בְּרִיתִי וְאָנֹכִי בָּעַלְתִּי בָם נְאֻם-יְהֹוָה31 Not as the covenant I cut with their fathers on the day of the gripping of their hands, taking them out from the land of Egypt, in which they broke my covenant, and [in which] I had been a master to them, says HaShem.לב כִּי זֹאת הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר אֶכְרֹת- אֶת-בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אַחֲרֵי הַיָּמִים הָהֵם נְאֻם-יְהֹוָה נָתַתִּי אֶת-תּוֹרָתִיבְּקִרְבָּם וְעַל-לִבָּם אֶכְתֳּבֶנָּה וְהָיִיתִי לָהֶם לֵאלֹהִים וְהֵמָּה יִהְיוּ-לִי לְעָם32 Surely this is the covenant which I will cut with the House of Israel after those days, says HaShem, I will place my Torah inside of them, and on their hearts I will write it. And I'll be God to them and they will be My people.The Malbim comments extensively on these verses, which is the norm for his excellent commentaries. Basically the Malbim explains that the previous covenant was on the conditions that they don't cross it, that they don't sin. But, you see, people have a yesser hara ('evil inclination'). In this future covenant, it is stated that HaShem will write the Torah in Israel's heart, place it inside of them. The Malbim comments specifically: "...שלא תתעורר אצלם בחירה הפך התורה", meaning that there will not be aroused in them any [free] choice opposite to the Torah. Annulment of any free choice contrary to Torah. That is what the REAL new covenant that will be.Has Yeshu Annulled Your Desire to Sin? LOLSo did you just read those verses, or what? What do they have to do with Yeshu? I have never met a Messianic that fully accepted the Torah, either (you kinda can't, believing in Yeshu and all).So how are they supposedly in a new covenant where the Torah is written on their hearts, etc? They're not! And trust me, I had been Messianic before, and I sure had the desire to sin! I had an inclination to do wrong, like every other human being on the planet.

And what has come from Yeshu in this world? The advancement and expansion of Torah Judaism, as well as people no longer being able to choose contrary to the Torah? Definitely the exact opposite. WHO are we kidding here? This "new covenant" idea of theirs is completely unfounded, and it takes a monkey reading the above verses to extract this theology from it.

Don't be a monkey. If you're a Messianic reading this, please remove the emotional conditioning and recognize how obviously erroneous your theology is. It just doesn't mesh with Torah.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

The New Israel?
There is the classic Christian idea that they are the "new Israel", God's new chosen people. In fact, Islam has the same thing. "Oh the Jews, ohh the Jews... Once God's people then they [insert: 'changed the Tanakh', if you're Muslim]/[insert: 'rejected the Messiah', if you're Christian/Messianic] and now we ['have the restored religion of old which we now call Islam, as delivered to us by the prophet Muhhammad']/['have the new covenant of God which breaks all barriers between Israel and the nations, making all true believers in Jesus God's new chosen special people'], and the Jews are still going on their own fallen path, never recognizing the truth."

Do you see the pattern?

A popular question going on in some of the Messianic blogs of late has been "are Gentiles considered part of Israel [now that Yeshu apparently changed the Torah's clear distinction between Israel and the goyim]".

This idea comes from various places in the Christian Bible (what they call the "New Testament") which refer to goyim, via Yeshu, becoming "part of the commonwealth of Israel", or becoming "grafted in", and other such terminology. What is funny to me is that lots of these people say they are totally "pro-Torah" and believe that Torah is still valid (contrary to popular Christian thought) because of Yeshu's statement in Matthew 5:17-19, in which he says that he didn't come to abolish the 'Law and Prophets', but rather to fulfill them.

But rest assured that this statement is both contradicted and supported various times throughout their texts, as bipolar as they are.

So let's see what Torah has to say about this.

First, there is the fact that HaShem delivered the Torah to the Israel at Har Sinai. There ARE universal laws of Torah, called the Noahide Laws, which are binding on all goyim. However, there is much, much more given to Israel that is specific to Israel. We have Shabat which is a "sign forever", "between Me and between the sons of Israel", mentioned specifically. The whole system of Torah: written and oral, constantly refers to the separation and difference between Israel and the goyim. In brakha of Havdalla, we say "hammavdil bein qodhash lahhol, bein or lahhoshakh, bein Yisroal lajoyyim, bein yom hashavi`i lasheshath yamei hama`asa" ("[HaShem] who distinguishes between holy and common, between light and darkness, between Israel and the nations, between the 7th day and the rest of the days of Creation"). Then to top it off, we have this concept - as if it weren't clear enough already! - mentioned blatantly in Tehillim 147, in the last two verses:מגיד דבריו ליעקב, חוקיו ומשפטיו לישראל. לא עשה כן לכל גוי, ומשפטים בל ידעום.He declares His Words to Ya`aqov, His statutes and ordinances to Israel. He hasn't done such for any other nation (literally "for any goy"), and [His] ordinances they have not known.

Magical Loophole?Seriously, how much more clear do we need to be? If these Messianics believed in Torah, believed in Tanakh like they claim - how do they get over this verse and the whole entire concept of separation between Israel and the nations? It is quite ridiculous. But here is a probable Messianic "answer" to that question:

"Since Yeshu made a way for everyone to come to God through him, and since this new covenant is circumcision of the heart (a claim they make based on Yirmeyah 31:30-31), then all are made holy through him and brought into the commonwealth of God's people."

See, this is their loophole: Yeshu's magical powers. Even though they believe Yeshu said, as I cited earlier, that he didn't come to abolish or annul the Torah, but to "fulfill" it. No one can believe that, and then believe his supposed special powers changed a fundamental and extremely important aspect of Torah like this.

Let's keep in mind, in the days of `Ezra, many Jewish men were called out for having goyot as wives. Now, this was not like in the days of Shimshon, Dowid, etc, whose foreign wives were converted into Israel. In `Ezra's day, clothes were torn over this sin, and repentance was done. As one stated to `Ezra concerning this (`Ezra 10:2): "'We have broken faith with our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this thing." This shows how serious this concept is to Torah.

God's Truly ChosenWhat goyim may do to actually become God's chosen is convert to Judaism. Then they will be fully Jewish. But how could conversion into `Am Yisrael be promoted by Messianics, when they cannot adhere to or promote Judaism because of their above-stated beliefs. Even among the ethnically Jewish minority of Messianics, and the further minority who seek to adhere, they cannot adhere to halakhic observance completely because they breach a whole aspect of Torah/halakha.

IF Yeshu were truly the Messiah of Judaism, we would see many goyim perhapts of lost or partial Jewish ancestry (or possibly neither) convert to Judaism. This would be in fulfillment of many pasuqim in Tanakh regarding goyim coming to HaShem. But we see, this is NOT the case with Yeshu. In fact, it is much the OPPOSITE. Instead, there are attempts to take Jews away from Judaism, an overall hatred or looking down upon of Judaism. That is directly opposite of what will happen when the real Mashiahh comes into the world.

The ReasonAll of these erroneous concepts and absurd ideas are rooted in one thing. And that is a lack of understanding Judaism/Torah. Anyone who understands isn't fooled by a collection of Roman writings aimed to mix Judaism with Roman 'pagan' concepts. That's why the Yeshu narrative is paralleled to the supposed life, death, and resurrection of the classic universal mythologies of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, etc, etc. And that is why Catholic means universal. What Romans did was mix everyone under their domain into a common belief and culture.

They took some known and common Jewish concepts and mixed them with their religion. Thus Christmas, December 25th, had been known as Saturnalia, the birthday of the god of the sun. Easter maintained the name of the goddess of fertility (known as Isis, Ashtar, etc, by other civilizations). Most Messianics distance themselves from these holidays and from Sunday "sabbath", etc. That is fine and good - but they still maintain the idolatry and most of the totally mixed beliefs of Christianity, but simply put a supposed "Torah" label on it, attempting to make their pig kosher.

Thursday, August 16, 2012

I was raised in a "Messianic" family in America, until becoming an Orthodox Jew after denouncing what I found out to be totally contrary to HaShem's Torah.

I have a brother who has a well known Messianic blog called Kineti LeTziyon. My parents, brothers, and sister still consider themselves Messianic of some kind. But hopefully that will all be changing!

Having spent years in this world of Messianism, I know all about many different kinds of Messianics, and all sorts of ideas that exist in their world. I am able to combat everything using the Tanakh. In fact, it is quite simple and all it requires is actually taking the Tanakh completely seriously.

For the minority of Messianics who believe in the idea of the Oral Torah, it is even easier to refute their false beliefs. However, the majority of people who call themselves "Messianic" ("Messianic Israelites", "Nazarene Israelites", "Ephraimites", etc as well as some who classify themselves as "Messianic Jewish") are people of a Protestant Christian background, and have a anti-traditional, Karaite view of Torah, which rejects the belief in the Oral Torah (silly, I know...).

So throughout this blog, I'm going to "combating" all sorts of Messianics beliefs, held by any and all Messianic group, outlook, or mindset. It shall be fun, and I hope that there will be many Jews involved in combating assimilation and Christian/Messianic missionizing who can benefit from the in-depth knowledge I have about the issue.